Chapter 65

“Summon all the NPCs to the cabin,” Red Queen demanded calmly .

She had put on an energy shield that was semi-transparent and had flares of fireballs spinning in the middle . This fire energy shield was marked as an Expert-level item . It wouldn’t break easily even if a Sniper managed to strike her . But the NPC crews were different . They were the key to controlling the ship . If they were dead, it would be impossible to continue the mission .

******

After providing Feng Luo with his gains, White Crescent proceeded to the top level under the cover of Neutron Star to restore Black Panther’s health .

Once Feng Luo regained full health, the first thing he did before leaving Big Pineapple’s shield was to replace his gun magazine with something more lethal: the double armor-piercing rounds .

The pirates’ second in command had a very high Sniper attack . Feng Luo needed to take him down first . Otherwise, he would risk being killed by a Sniper himself . The previous shot had revealed his approximate position . Feng Luo wondered if the AI of this Pirate Lieutenant would use the technique of switching positions after each shot?

Once he changed the bullets, Feng Luo waited for a moment before stooping behind the alloy shield and revealing his head . He raised the M110 to pretend that he was going to shoot . It was a fake move . A second later, he quickly retreated behind the shield again .

Pow!

A 7 . 62mm armor-piercing bullet flew by Big Pineapple’s alloy shield and pierced a hole in the ship behind them .

“He must still be in the same position!”

By comparing the pathway of the two armor-piercing bullets, Feng Luo was sure that the Pirate Sniper did not move but had maintained his position .

This was both good and bad . The good thing was it was easier to take him down . The bad thing was that the opponent already had his eyes locked on Feng Luo . The muzzle of the sniper rifle was likely aiming directly at his position, so any movement might be lethal . This meant that by the time Feng Luo found the opponent’s precise position, the opponent would have had the chance to fire two or even three shots .

One shot wasn’t a big deal . The second shot was when things started to get dangerous . And the third shot… Even if the hit rate wasn’t high—since both parties were on ships—it wasn’t worth the risk . So…

“Black Panther!” Feng Luo called into the group channel .

“What is it?” Black Panther’s voice was low . He had just gotten shot in the head . Luckily, his helmet had a high defense coefficient, so the bullet didn’t go through, and not much health was lost . There was nowhere to hide on the top level, so now was not the time to go up . He needed to change positions .

“Let’s join forces and take care of that Sniper!” Feng Luo suggested .

Two Snipers joining forces was a common tactic used by hired mercenaries . During missions, two Snipers would focus on one target—one as the main Sniper, the other as the spotter and a second Sniper . That way, the second Sniper could help out when the first Sniper missed a shot .

Of course, there was no need to have a primary and secondary Sniper while facing this Pirate Sniper . All they need was one person to distract him while the other took him down .

“Okay!” Black Panther agreed .

There was still animosity between the two, but under these circumstances, this was undoubtedly the best way to go .

“Why don’t you get ready then?” Feng Luo said .

“Done . I’ve moved to a new position!” Black Panther replied through the group channel a few seconds later .

“All right then . I’ll be the bait . ”

This wasn’t an act of generosity by Feng Luo in volunteering to take on the role of bait . It was mainly because Big Pineapple was right next to him . In case he got hit, he could quickly retreat behind Big Pineapple . Meanwhile, Black Panther could be protected by Neutron Star, although the small shield of a Light Armor Warrior wouldn’t be enough to shield his whole body .

“One… two… three!”

After confirming their plan, Feng Luo counted through the group channel . Once he said ‘three,” he immediately lifted the M110 and left cover, half kneeling on the ground, one eye aiming through the scope toward the opponent’s estimated position . His finger was on the trigger, but he didn’t pull it .

At that moment, the sun floated above the sea surface . It wasn’t a glare that was strong enough to affect one’s vision . But in his magnified vision, Feng Luo noticed a scope flare from the pirate ship across the way .

Pow!

An armor-piercing bullet grazed past him next to his ear . He could even smell the gunpowder in the air .

Even an NPC Sniper couldn’t always have the perfect shot . The Pirate Sniper had missed!

More importantly, Feng Luo had discovered the opponent’s exact position . Hiding behind the cannons on the pirate ship, a sniper rifle and half of the Pirate Sniper’s body were visible . Furthermore, he daringly was not wearing a helmet . Wearing only a red bandana, he opted for the headgear typical of a desperado .

Pow!

A gunshot was fired from the right side of the boat by Black Panther .

A bullet with faint blue lights flew out and hit the top of the Pirate Sniper’s forehead . Although it wasn’t a kill shot from Black Panther, his headshot prevented the pirate from getting up and escaping . It had bought them only a little bit of time, but that was enough .

Pow!

The M110 fired with a thud, and a double armor-piercing round burst out of the barrel .

−3849

Red lethal damage!

The distance between the two boats was now approximately 700 meters . With the additional skill of a limited hit, the damage by Feng Luo’s shot was not affected . The double armor-piercing round would cause extreme damage to armor below grade D, so it pierced directly into the pirate’s forehead .

Killed Pirate Lieutenant “Venomous Snake” (Level 47 Elite) . Contribution: 85% . Experience gained: 850 . Terminated an E-rank federal wanted criminal . Reward: 5,000 credits, 1 medal point . Please proceed to the Hunters Guild to collect your credits .

“So it’s the Hunters Guild . Huh…”

Feng Luo didn’t find this strange . The tasks available through the Hunters Guild weren’t limited to red-name wanted players . Being one of the two largest federal associations, they accepted all bounties, including those against the NPCs and certain special monsters .

It was recently rumored that the Hunters Guild had become the main competitor of the Mercenary Guild because they had started up a bodyguard business . Letting a group of killers become bodyguards wasn’t such a bad idea . Since they were expert killers themselves, naturally they’d know how to protect their employers from being killed .

Feng Luo and Black Panther had joined forces to eliminate the most dangerous Sniper . But now, the situation was getting worse!

Presently, the pirate ship was only 700 meters away from the ship . If they got any closer, they would be within range of the Machine Gunners . Yes, there were Machine Gunners among the pirates—and not just one . In fact, even their leader was a Level-49 Elite Machine Gunner . There were also multiple railguns . On the front of the pirate ship, three six-barreled railguns, which were longer than two meters, were mounted . This definitely represented one of the biggest threats to the players .

The best way to avoid situations like this was to take down the Gunners . Of all the pirates, the leader was the one who had to be killed as quickly as possible .

Since the beginning of the battle, the captain—who wore a soldier’s uniform and a general’s hat and was also known as the One-Eyed Dragon—had never gone to hide in the ship . He had remained standing steadily on the deck .

Standing in front of him was a bulky, sinewy man known as Scarface . The pirates’ third in command held a large, heavy alloy shield covering both of them . Accordingly, Feng Luo and Black Panther gave up on the thought of killing him by sniping .

Nevertheless, they had to face this situation . Otherwise, even if the pirates didn’t use weapons like the torpedos or guided missile, the three six-barreled railguns would be enough to suppress them for good .